Systems, methods and devices for small cell activation and detection

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for enabling wireless communication devices in a cellular wireless network to utilize small cells having coverage within a macro cell are disclosed herein. User equipment (UE) can detect the need for using a booster providing a small cell, detect availability of small cells and submit a request to infrastructure of the cellular wireless network to aid in connection with the booster that provides the small cell. The request can be enhanced with small cell location queries, small cell activation requests and/or assistance data to enable meaningful small cell selection.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/316,316, filed Jun. 26, 2014, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to wireless cellular service and moreparticularly relates to cellular transfer and activation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication systemconsistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating four examples ofinfrastructure to support a small cell consistent with embodimentsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a method for accessing a small cellconsistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a more detailed method for accessing asmall cell consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an example of implementation ofthe method in FIG. 4 consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an alternate method for accessing asmall cell consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of another alternate method for accessinga small cell consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another alternate method foraccessing a small cell consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a method for enabling user equipment toaccess a small cell consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of an enhanced wireless protocolstack consistent with embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 11 is a table illustrating code describing location data consistentwith embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a mobile device consistent withembodiments disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A detailed description of systems and methods consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure is provided below. While severalembodiments are described, it should be understood that the disclosureis not limited to any one embodiment, but instead encompasses numerousalternatives, modifications, and equivalents. In addition, whilenumerous specific details are set forth in the following description inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosedherein, some embodiments can be practiced without some or all of thesedetails. Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, certain technicalmaterial that is known in the related art has not been described indetail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure.

Techniques, apparatus and methods are disclosed that enable wirelesscommunication devices in a cellular wireless network to utilize smallcells having coverage within a macro cell. For example, a wirelesscommunication device can detect the need for using a booster providing asmall cell, detect availability of small cells and submit a request toinfrastructure of the cellular wireless network to aid in connectionwith the booster that provides the small cell. The request can beenhanced with small cell location queries, small cell activationrequests and/or assistance data to enable meaningful small cellselection. An anchor tower (such as an evolved node B (eNB) in the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE)) selectssmall cells that match the assistance data received from the UE (e.g.,describing the UE's current or predicted communication needs, etc.) andto inform the UE about both small cell deployment locations and smallcell activation results for matching small cells

Using these techniques, apparatus and methods can result in small cellactivation, meaningful small cell selection and/or dissemination ofsmall cell deployment locations. Small cell activation allows UEs torequest small cells that were turned off for power saving be reactivatedwhen UEs in their coverage area express a need. Meaningful small cellselection enables small cells to be selectively activated to serve agiven UE and, in some embodiments, only when a need is given in therequest. UEs can be provisioned with location information of small cellscoverage areas (or the deployment locations of respective small cellbase stations) that are active and suited in a respective area.

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards andprotocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless mobiledevice. Wireless communication system standards and protocols caninclude the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long termevolution (LTE); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.16 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups asworldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX); and the IEEE802.11 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as Wi-Fi.Mobile broadband networks can include various high speed datatechnologies, such as 3GPP LTE systems. In 3GPP radio access networks(RANs) in LTE systems, the base station can include Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node Bs (also commonlydenoted as evolved Node Bs, enhanced Node Bs, eNodeBs, or eNBs) and/orRadio Network Controllers (RNCs) in an E-UTRAN, which communicate with awireless communication device, known as user equipment (UE).

In some embodiments, a UE has network demands that are taxing on a basestation (also known as a “macro station” having macro cell coverage). Inone example, this situation occurs when a base station is near oralready over subscribed for data usage. In another example, thissituation occurs when a UE has high data or low latency requirements.Instead of taxing the base station, the UE with the help of the wirelessnetwork infrastructure determines whether a second smaller-area cellularstation (also known as a “small cell” or “booster” or “small-areawireless access node”) can service the UE. If the small cell can servicethe UE, the UE can transfer all or some of its network traffic to thesmall cell. In many embodiments, the small cell service overlaps withthe base station service area.

For example, cellular communication networks can include the macro celllayer (with macro cell base stations for instance operating according toGSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, or LTE/LTE Advanced) accompanied with an additionalsmall cell layer. In some embodiments, these additional small cells willprimarily be deployed for capacity improvement (e.g., in traffic hotspots), or for coverage enhancements (e.g., at macro cell edge, or incoverage holes of the macro cell layer, such as subway stations,shopping malls, etc.). The small cell layer will be offered by small,low power base stations that can for instance be mounted at streetfurniture and alike. Small cell base stations (also referred to as“Booster eNB” or “booster”) can offer access links to UE according toLTE, millimeter wave technology (mmWave), or both of these radiotechnologies.

Small cell base stations can have a wired backhaul connection into themobile network operator's core network. There can be cases however inwhich a wired backhaul connection is not possible for a variety ofdifferent reasons (e.g., too difficult or expensive to be installed).Another option for seamless integration of small cell base stations intothe existing network topology of a mobile communication network istherefore the usage of mmWave frequency bands also for backhaul links.In some embodiments, for wireless backhaul provisioning it can beadvantageous to deploy small cell base stations under macro cellcoverage, and to let one of the macro cell base stations serve the smallcell base station wirelessly. A macro cell base station that is servinga small cell base station is referred to as “Anchor eNB,” “Anchor Tower”or “anchor.”

A wireless backhaul link can be a direct point to point connectionbetween booster and anchor, or it can be a multi-hop connection with anumber of mmWave capable relay nodes in between, as shown in FIG. 2. Inone embodiment it can be possible that mmWave capable infrastructurenodes serve as a relay and booster at the same time (i.e. a combinedrelay/booster device). Frequency bands in the mmWave range are wellsuited to offer larger bandwidths. Furthermore they have excellentspatial reuse properties that can be exploited for a higher degree ofnetwork densification.

In some embodiments, the infrastructure side provides detailedinformation about small cell locations to UEs, either in broadcast modeto all UEs in a given cell, or via dedicated signaling to a selectednumber of UEs. In another embodiment, these pieces of information aredisseminated by an infrastructure node upon UE request. In anotherembodiment, a method allows UEs not only to query location details aboutsmall cell sites, but also to submit requests for small cell activation.

Turning to FIG. 1, an example of a portion of a radio access network(RAN) system 100 that includes a single cellular air interface (such asan LTE/LTE-Advanced access link) being provided between the anchor 104and the UE 102 (i.e. on Access Link A), and an air interface (asupplemental network interface such as an mmWave based interface) beingprovided between the booster 106 and the UE 102 (i.e. on Access Link B).UE 102 is located in within macro cell coverage 108. The UE 102determines that connection with a booster 106 will be beneficial to auser of the UE 102. The UE 102 requests the wireless infrastructure(e.g. the anchor tower 104 or core network which is not shown in FIG. 1)to provide a booster 106. The wireless infrastructure can select a listof available boosters 106 that are in the area of the UE 102 or canservice the UE 102. The wireless infrastructure (represented by theanchor tower 104) can determine one or more small cells 110 (serviced byboosters 106) in which the UE 102 might receive service. If thebooster(s) 106 is not already active, an activation command can be sentby the wireless infrastructure (or UE) to wake the booster 106 from alow power state. An activation response can be optionally received tonotify of the success of the command. The infrastructure can provide thedetermined information about one or more small cells 110 to the UE 102.The UE 102 can then examine the information to determine if a connectionto a booster 106 is possible. If so, the UE 102 can connect with booster106 on Access Link B. In some embodiments, the UE 102 retains AccessLink A to anchor tower 104. The UE 102 can offload some or part ofwireless services onto Access Link A. In other embodiments, the UE 102disconnects from Access Link A and moves all wireless services to AccessLink B. In some embodiments Access Link A and Access Link B use a samefrequency and technology. In other embodiments, Access Link A and AccessLink B use different frequencies (e.g. LTE licensed frequencies andmmWave frequencies) and different link technology (e.g. LTE and Wi-Fi).In other embodiments, Access Link A and Access Link B use differentfrequencies and the similar link technology (e.g. LTE and LTE overmmWave).

The booster 106 can provide services that are not available throughanchor tower 104. In one embodiment, the booster 106 can provide morethroughput and/or smaller lag time (e.g. through mmWave technology) forhigh-bandwidth and/or low-latency needs of a UE 102. In anotherembodiment, the booster 106 can provide congestion relief for an anchortower 104 by taking traffic normally destined for the anchor tower 104.In other embodiments, the booster 106 can provide small cell 110coverage over areas of the macro cell 108 that have degradedperformance.

A need can be based in requirements, thresholds, comparisons, services,service levels, value estimations, value comparisons, etc. For example,a wireless network device can determine that wireless service receivedthrough a network interface degrades below a threshold value. In anotherexample, a mobile device can determine that a base station does notprovide services demanded or required by the mobile device. In oneexample, a client can determine that service value provided by a firstcellular interface is less than an estimated value over a secondcellular interface. In each of these examples, the need is not met and aconnection to a booster can be desirable.

Depending on the embodiment, the provisioning of small cell locationinformation to the UE 102 can be dynamic or static. The wirelessinfrastructure can communicate this information through systeminformation broadcasts, dedicated signaling or through Open MobileAlliance Device Management (OMAR DAM) objects.

In some embodiments, the wireless infrastructure provides a broadcast ofinformation about boosters 106 available to UE 102 within a coveragearea. This broadcast of booster locations and/or service areas (e.g.small cells 110) allows for UE 102 to store and use the information whenneeded. In one embodiment, the UE can use the radio resource control(RRC) layer to request a broad cast of booster information from theinfrastructure (see e.g. FIG. 10). In another embodiment, anchor towers104 can broadcast booster information to UE 102 within the macro cellcoverage 108. In some embodiments, a broadcast can be provided to UE 102in an IDLE and CONNECTED mode of operation. The coverage area can be amacro cell coverage 108 or a set of anchor towers 104 that cover aregion. In some embodiments, the set of towers 104 can vary with theanchor tower 104 to which the UE 102 is connected (e.g. within a 100mile radius).

In some embodiments, the infrastructure provides dedicated signaling tothe UE for information about small cells. Depending on the embodiment,the infrastructure can provide small cell information on demand from theUE or it can provide an update of small cell information to the UEdepending on UE location or environment information (e.g. geographicallocation, connected anchor tower, UE speed and direction, etc.). Inother embodiments, the dedicated signaling can be performed at the RRClayer for a single UE residing in a CONNECTED mode of operation.

In some embodiments, the infrastructure uses OMAR DAM objects to informthe UE regarding information about small cells. In one embodiment, theOMAR DAM uses a semi-static approach that uses application layerfunctionality. For example, the infrastructure can send out a OMAR DAMmessage formatted in XML that describes an OMAR DAM object containinglocation information of boosters 106 and their associated small cellcoverage 110.

In other embodiments, the UE 102 provides assistance data of the UE 102to the wireless infrastructure that allows the wireless infrastructureto better determine which booster(s) 106 to provide to the UE 102. Usingthe assistance data, the wireless infrastructure selects a booster 106in which the UE 102 is within the small cell 110. The booster 106 can beactivated, if needed, and the UE 102 notified of the booster 106. The UE102 can then connect to the booster 106.

Assistance data can include mobility behavior, location informationand/or media consumption information. Mobility behavior can includespeed, heading, direction, vector, etc. Location information can includeGPS data, RF fingerprints, Wi-Fi Networks in Range, etc. Mediaconsumption information can include quality of service (QoS)requirements, type of application, flags describing delay tolerance orreal-time characteristics of traffic, etc.

Other cellular radio access technologies (such as GSM/GPRS/EDGE, orUMTS) can be used, as well as other noncellular radio access technology(such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth). Both access links A and B may be based onthe same radio access technology or on different radio accesstechnologies. These may either be cellular or noncellular, as describedabove.

Inside the UE the transceiver module for Access Link B can either be onor off. In either case the UE will not receive any DL signals from thebooster, as long as the booster is turned off as shown in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the system 100 can include a plurality of radioaccess networks (RANs) through which the UE 102 can access IP servicesor other data services, such as voice services or the Internet. Thesystem 100 can include a global system for mobile communications (GSM)enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), a UTRAN, andan E-UTRAN, which provide access to communication services through acore network. Each of the RANs can operate according to a specific 3GPPradio access technology (RAT). For example, the GERAN implements GSMand/or EDGE RAT, the UTRAN implements universal mobile telecommunicationsystem (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, and the E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT.Other technologies can include a mmWave based RAT, 802.11a, 802.11g,802.11n, 802.11ac, any other 802.11 RAT or an 802.16 RAT (through aWiMAX RAN).

In the embodiment, each of the RANs includes one or more base stationsor other infrastructure for wirelessly communicating with the UE andproviding access to communication services. For example, the E-UTRANincludes one or more eNBs, which are configured to wirelesslycommunicate with the UE.

While examples and an order of operations performed are discussed inthis disclosure, the examples are provided with specifics for purposesof clarity. It should be recognized that the ordering of methodoperations can be switched and/or performed concurrently. In somemethods, operations can be left out or added without departing from ascope of the embodiment described (see e.g. FIGS. 4-8). In some methods,operations may be performed by different equipment (e.g. the UE mayperform operations attributed to the infrastructure or vice-versa).

FIG. 2 is an example of four versions of infrastructure to support smallcells. In example A, a booster 106 has a direct connection to the corenetwork infrastructure. In example B, a booster 106 is served by ananchor via a point-to-point backhaul link (see also FIG. 1). In exampleC, a booster 106 is served by an anchor via a multi-hop backhaulconnection involving relay nodes 212. In example D, a remote booster 218comprising a remote radio head (RRH) 214 is served by an anchor 104.While these examples are not exhaustive, they provide insight andexamples of functionality that can be combined to service small cells.

Example A shows operation of a booster 106 without an anchor 104. The UE102 can connect to a booster 106 over access link 106 available in asmall cell provided by booster 106. The booster 106 can connect to theinfrastructure (such as infrastructure in the evolved packet core (EPC))over an interface 206 (such as an S1 interface to the EPC). In someembodiments the interface can be achieved through a wired or wireless(such as point-to-point) connection to the infrastructure.

For example, a UE 102 can request that infrastructure 202 through ananchor node 104 provide a list of boosters 106 available to the UE 102.The UE 102 can provide assistance information that includes a locationof the UE 102. The infrastructure 202 can determine that a booster 106can provide the services requested by the UE 102. The infrastructure 202can message the booster 106 over interface 206 to cause the booster 106to come out of a low power state. The infrastructure 202 can then sendthe UE 102 information about the booster 106, including locationinformation. The UE 102 can connect to the booster 106 and drop a priorconnection to the anchor. Communications can then flow from the UE 102over an access link 204 through the booster 106 over an interface 206 toinfrastructure, and to a destination (such as the Internet or a portionof the infrastructure) and back.

Example B shows operation of a booster 106 with an anchor 104. The UE102 connects to a booster 106 over access link 106 available in a smallcell provided by booster 106. The booster 106 can connect with theanchor 104 over a backhaul link 208. In some embodiments the backhaullink 208 is over point-to-point wireless. In other embodiments, thebackhaul link 208 is over a wired connection. The anchor 104 can connectto the infrastructure over an interface 206. By using an anchor's 104interface 206 to the infrastructure 202, the booster 106 can shareexisting high speed links to infrastructure 202 that may not besaturated even when the wireless service of an anchor is saturated.

For example a wired interface 206 (such as optical fiber) between theanchor tower 104 (such as an eNB) and the infrastructure 202 (such as anEPC) can include unused throughput (e.g. bandwidth) even when a set ofUE 102 saturate the anchor's LTE RAN. Using a second communicationchannel (such as a point-to-point wireless interface), a booster 106 cancommunicate with the anchor 104 and make use of the unused throughput.UE 102 that connects to the booster 106 can therefore receive betterservice than if the UE 102 connected with the anchor 104. In someembodiments, the booster 106 can use a different RAT than an LTE RAT(such as mmWave small cellular technology) such thatcompetition/interference for the spectrum of the LTE RAT is notinfluenced.

Example C shows operation of a booster 106 with a relay node 212. The UE102 connects to a booster 106 over access link 106 available in a smallcell provided by booster 106. The booster 106 can connect with the relaynode 212 over a relay backhaul link 212. In some embodiments the relaybackhaul link 212 is over point-to-point wireless. In other embodiments,the relay backhaul link 212 is over a wired connection. The relay node212 can connect with the anchor 104 over a second backhaul link 208. Theanchor 104 can connect to the infrastructure over an interface 206.

For example, a booster 106 can be placed at street level where a line ofsight wireless connection with an anchor 104 is not possible. A relaynode 212 can be placed within the line of sight of the booster 106 andanchor 104. The relay node 212 can then use point-to-point wirelesstechnology to act as a bridge between the booster 106 and the anchor104. In some embodiments, a relay can service multiple boosters 106 andan anchor can service multiple relay nodes 212 and boosters 106.

Example D shows operation of a remote booster 218 with a remote radiohead 214. The UE 102 connects to a remote booster 106 over access link106 available in a small cell provided by remote radio head 214. Theremote radio head 214 can be located away from remote booster 218 andtransfer signals between the remote radio head 214 and UE 102 overfronthaul link 216. The remote booster 218 can connect with the anchor104 over a backhaul link 208. In some embodiments the backhaul link 208is over point-to-point wireless. In other embodiments, the backhaul link208 is over a wired connection. The anchor 104 can connect to theinfrastructure over an interface 206.

One of skill in the art will recognize that numerous other componentsand functions can be included or implemented in the core network 202,the anchor 104 or other infrastructure.

FIG. 3 shows a process 300 of enabling wireless communication devices ina cellular wireless network to utilize small cells having coveragewithin a macro cell. The method can be accomplished in a system 100 orsystems 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a UE 102, anchor 104, corenetwork 202 and booster 106. In block 302, a UE determines a need toconnect with a small cell. In block 304, the UE receives small cellinformation describing a set of small cells, such as locationinformation and booster information. In block 306, the UE determines alocation of the UE. In block 308, the UE uses the location and the smallcell information to connect to a small cell that can service the UE.

In some embodiments, the UE can send enhanced information (such as UElocation) to infrastructure, which can select a booster to which the UEcan connect. This information can be sent to the UE, which uses theinformation to connect to the selected booster.

FIG. 4 shows a more detailed process 400 of enabling communicationdevices in a cellular wireless network to utilize small cells havingcoverage within a macro cell. The method can be accomplished in a system100 or systems 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a UE 102, anchor 104,core network 202 and booster 106. In block 402, a UE determines a needto connect with a small cell, such as a saturation of a macro cell. Inblock 404, the UE or infrastructure determines an availability of smallcells to the UE (such as the capability of the UE to communicate withsmall cells and/or known small cells in the area). In block 406, the UEcan request access from the infrastructure to a small cell. The requestcan result in infrastructure making decisions or the infrastructureproviding information about small cells to the UE for the UE to make thedecisions. In block 408, the infrastructure or UE can qualify the smallcells for servicing the UE (such as matching services provided by abooster to services available to the UE, e.g. RAN, RAT, throughput, lowlatency, etc.). In block 410, the infrastructure or UE can send amessage causing qualified small cells to activate, such as wake up froma low power state and/or begin accepting connections from the UE. Inblock 412, the infrastructure or UE can determine coverage areas ofsmall cells that can service the UE. In block 414, the infrastructure orUE selects a small cell for use by the UE. In block 416, the UE connectswith the small cell and transfers one or more connections (e.g. packetdata network (PDN) connections and/or voice connections) to the smallcell.

For example, the method of FIG. 4 can be implemented in as shown in FIG.5. FIG. 5 shows seven phases 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512 and 514 thatare implemented by different systems 102, 104 and 106.

In phase 1 (502), a UE 102 determines a need to connect with a smallcell. The UE 102 can have multiple determinations that result in adetermination for a need to connect with a small cell. In an embodiment,a UE 102 has lost connection with a small cell and determines a need toconnect to another small cell. In some embodiments, In one embodiment, auser, UE 102 or an application executing on the UE 102 uses a servicethat is preferred, recommended, mandated for operation in conjunctionwith a small cell. This service restriction can come from the mobilenetwork operator through operator policy, third party service providerthrough service contract, the UE 102 based on data bandwidth demandversus current data bandwidth offerings or the user through userpreferences.

In phase 2 (504), the UE 102 determines an availability of small cellsto the UE 102. The UE 102 enters an area/location, which is known to theUE 102 to be covered by a small cell. This knowledge can be derived byinformation transmitted previously to the UE 102 or the UE 102 hasstored relevant location information from a previous successfulconnection establishment with a small cell. Location information caninclude geographical coordinates, RF fingerprints, etc.

In phase 3 (506), the UE 102 can request access from the anchor 104 to asmall cell. These request can include messages and information elementsas described in conjunction with FIG. 10. In one embodiment, the UE 102queries location information related to small cell deployment. The UEsends out a query to the Anchor eNB asking to be provisioned withlocation information related to small cells' detailed coverage areas(and/or with detailed information describing the deployment locations ofrespective small cell base stations). In another embodiment, the UErequests activation of small cells. In order to improve capacity and/orcoverage at its current location, the UE sends out an activation requestto the Anchor eNB asking the infrastructure to activate one or moreadditional small cell(s).

In an embodiment, the UE adds assistance data to a query or request foraccess to small cells. The infrastructure can make meaningful decisionswith respect to small cell location determination and/or small cellactivation, when the UE adds to the request or query some assistancedata pertaining to the UE's environment. The assistance data can be (orcan be related to) mobility behavior, location information and/or mediaconsumption information. Mobility behavior can include speed, heading,direction, vector, etc. Location information can include GPS data, RFfingerprints, Wi-Fi Networks in Range, etc. Media consumptioninformation can include quality of service (QoS) requirements, type ofapplication, flags describing delay tolerance or real-timecharacteristics of traffic, etc.

In phase 4 (508), the anchor 104 can select the small cells forservicing the UE 102. In one embodiment the anchor 104 can evaluate theUE 102 query. The infrastructure side determines small cell basestations that are capable of offering communication services to the UE.If no additional assistance data is provided by the UE in itsrequest/query, a simple selection routine assumes that all small cellsthat are (or may be) operated under the UE's current macro cell arequalified for service provisioning to the UE. All small cells operatingunder the current macro cell can be selected as potential candidates forthe UE. In another embodiment, the anchor 104 evaluates the UE queryusing provided assistance data. Using assistance data (e.g. UEgeographical position within a macro cell, UE need for data throughput,etc.), the infrastructure side can provide more specific decisions(compared with the prior simple selection embodiment) by selecting onlythose small cells from the list of small cells determined by the simpleselection that may serve the UE according to the assistance data. Smallcells with a coverage area that does not reach out to the UE, smallcells that do not provide the requested services or small cells that arecurrently overloaded can be excluded from the list of potentialcandidates for the UE.

In phase 5 (510), the anchor 104 can send a message causing qualifiedboosters 106 to activate. For the activation of small cells (e.g., thatmay have been selected in phase #4), the Anchor 104 sends out anactivation request to all Booster 106 that fulfill the selectioncriteria (for criteria checking please see phase #4). The activationrequest can also be (or include) a reconfiguration command to beprocessed in the corresponding small cell base station. The Booster 106can acknowledge the receipt of the activation request received from theAnchor 104.

In phase 6 (512), the anchor 104 can transmit the selected small cellinformation to the UE 102. The dissemination of location informationrelated to small cells' detailed coverage areas (and/or of detailedinformation describing the deployment locations of the respective smallcell base stations) can occur in multiple ways. Three alternatives arediscussed as embodiments to get the information from the infrastructureside across the air interface to the UE, although others are alsopossible.

In one embodiment, a system information broadcast can be used. Here, theinfrastructure side uses System Information Broadcast enhancements. Thisis a very dynamic approach and it takes place at RRC layer. As soon as asmall cell's capability or activity changes, this change can bereflected in the System Information Broadcast almost immediately. SystemInformation Broadcast is received by all UEs in a given cell, regardlessof whether the UE is currently residing in IDLE or CONNECTED mode ofoperation.

A possible encoding example is given in FIG. 11. The macro cell basestation (e.g., the Anchor 104) disseminates new information elements inits System Information Broadcast for the description of the small cells'detailed coverage areas (and/or for detailed information describing thedeployment locations of the respective small cell base stations). Ifneeded, these new information elements can be grouped according to theassistance data pertaining to the UE's individual situation as receivedfrom the UE in phase #3. For instance, the System Information maycomprise a first set of location information intended for a first (groupof) UE(s) and a second set of location information intended for a second(group of) UE(s). A group of UEs can for instance be formed with UEshaving the same or similar communication needs in terms of QoSrequirements and mobility characteristics, respectively.

In another embodiment, dedicated signaling can be used. Theinfrastructure side uses enhancements in RRC messages in order to informselected UEs that are residing in CONNECTED mode of operation. As it canbe a very dynamic approach; changes can be reflected almost immediately,whenever a small cell's capability or activity changes. The RRC can beenhanced with new and/or updated RRC messages includingSmallCellLocationRequest( ), SmallCellLocationResponse( ),SmallCellLocationInfo( ) and SmallCellLocationAcknowledgement( ) asdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 10.

In yet another embodiment, OMAR DAM can be used to provide small cellinformation to the UE. In the embodiment, OMAR Device Management is aprotocol for device management specified by the Open Mobile Alliance(OMAR). The latest available version of the OMAR DAM specification isV2.0 (candidate release, not yet approved); the latest availableapproved version of OMAR DAM is V1.2.1. OMAR DAM is designed formanagement of mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and tabletcomputers. Configuration of the device (including first time use,enabling and disabling features) falls within the scope of OMAR DAM aswell as changing settings and parameters during device operation. TheOMAR DAM protocol uses XML for data exchange, including a subset of XMLwhich was defined by SyncML. The device management takes place bycommunication between a server (which is managing the device) and theclient (the device being managed).

For example, the communication is initiated by a OMAR DAM server withinthe infrastructure, asynchronously, using an available communicationchannel (such as WAP Push or SMS). The initial message from server toclient can be in the form of a notification, or alert message. Asequence of messages can be exchanged to complete a given devicemanagement task. OMAR DAM provides for alerts, which are messages thatcan occur out of sequence, and can be initiated by either server orclient. The alerts can be used to handle errors, abnormal terminationsetc. OMAR DAM can make use of application layer functionality to providethe small cell information. A new management object can be defined toenable dissemination of location information related to small cells'detailed coverage areas (or of detailed information describing thedeployment locations of the respective small cell base stations).

In phase 7 (514), the UE 102 processes the small cell information anddetermines whether to connect with a booster 106. The UE 102 processesthe location information about small cell coverage areas (and/ordeployment locations of the respective small cell base stations)received from the Anchor 104. The UE 102 is enabled to derive whether atits current location coverage or capacity offered by small cell basestations is currently available or can additionally be made available.For this, the UE 102 can be required to take the location information(which may comprise GPS coordinates, RF fingerprints, etc.) as received,convert it into another (more suitable) format, and compare it againstits own current or predicted position. After phase 7 (514), the UE 102connects with the small cell and transfers one or more connections tothe small cell.

In the Figures, including FIG. 5, an Anchor (such as an eNB) is part ofthe infrastructure. However, this should not be understood to be arestriction; there may be case in which the Anchor passes on requestsreceived from the UE to some core network entity (such as the mobilitymanagement entity (MME)), or receives some instructions from a corenetwork entity (e.g., from the MME) related to/intended for the UE. Theterm “infrastructure” should therefore be understood to comprisedifferent types of core network elements and radio access network nodes.As a consequence in phases #4 (508) and #5 (510) the “infrastructureelement” base station (Anchor eNB) may jointly with other“infrastructure elements” (such as the MME or home subscriber server(HSS)) evaluate any activation requests and/or location queries and/orselect small cells for the information exchange in phase #6 (512).

The processes described in conjunction with FIGS. 4 and 5 can optionallybe modified to add additional operations or remove operations. FIGS. 6-9describe such optional processes. FIGS. 6-8 describe processes from theperspective of the UE, while FIG. 9 describes a process from theperspective of the infrastructure.

FIG. 6 shows a process 600 of enabling wireless communication devices ina cellular wireless network to utilize small cells having coveragewithin a macro cell. The method can be accomplished in a system 100 orsystems 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a UE 102, anchor 104, corenetwork 202 and booster 106. In block 602, the UE determines a need forconnecting with a small cell, such as a large data demand from anapplication. In block 604, the UE determines availability of smallcells, such as sending a request to infrastructure for a list of smallcells or reviewing a stored list on the UE. In block 606, the UE candetermine a coverage area of the small cells and compare the coveragewith a location of the UE. In block 608, the UE can select a small cellthat fits the requirements of the UE. In block 610, the UE can connectto the small cell.

For example, a cellular device determines that a current connection toan eNB over LTE will not adequately satisfy data demands of a streamingvideo service. The cellular device sends an RRC message to the EPCrequesting a list of capable small cells, with assistance data thatincludes the location, travelling vector, available RATs and datademands of the streaming video service. The EPC returns an RRC responsemessage to the UE that includes one or more information elements (IEs)that describe available boosters (such as booster eNBs and/or boosterscompatible with mmWave RAT) compatible with the assistance data. The UEselects a small cell described in the IEs, such as a mmWave booster, andconnects with the small cell.

FIG. 7 shows a process 700 of enabling wireless communication devices ina cellular wireless network to utilize small cells having coveragewithin a macro cell. The method can be accomplished in a system 100 orsystems 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a UE 102, anchor 104, corenetwork 202 and booster 106. In block 702, the UE determines a need toconnect with a small cell. In block 704, the UE requests access to thesmall cell, such as a direct request to the cell or through theinfrastructure. In block 706, the small cell is activated due to therequest. In block 708, the UE connects to the small cell.

For example, a wireless smartphone determines that a current connectionwith an eNB is degraded due to saturation of the eNB bandwidth due tomany UE connections. The wireless smartphone sends an RRC request to theEPC to access a small cell in a list that it had received through OMARDM. The EPC sends a message to a booster responsible for the small cell,causing the booster to wake up from a low power state. The wirelesssmartphone connects to the activated booster and transfers one or morepacket data network (PDN) connections to the activated booster.

FIG. 8 shows a process 800 of enabling wireless communication devices ina cellular wireless network to utilize small cells having coveragewithin a macro cell. The method can be accomplished in a system 100 orsystems 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a UE 102, anchor 104, corenetwork 202 and booster 106. In block 802, a UE determines coverageareas of small cells, such as from a stored list of information aboutsmall cells. In block 804, the UE selects a small cell for use, whichcan be based on requirements of the UE including location and servicesprovided. In block 806, the UE requests access to a small cell, such asthrough infrastructure (e.g. the EPC). In block 808, the infrastructurecan qualify the small cell for servicing the UE. In block 810, theinfrastructure can activate the small cell for use with the UE, such asenabling a booster to connect with the UE. In block 812, the UE canconnect to the small cell.

Depending on the embodiment, the infrastructure can respond to requestfor small cells at different levels. For example, an anchor tower can beconfigured with logic to receive and respond to requests from a UE toconnect with small cells within tis macro cell service area. In anotherexample, small cell requests can be processed by the EPC such that ananchor tower acts as a conduit through which requests pass.

FIG. 9 shows a process 900 of enabling wireless communication devices ina cellular wireless network to utilize small cells having coveragewithin a macro cell. The method can be accomplished in a system 100 orsystems 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a UE 102, anchor 104, corenetwork 202 and booster 106. In block 902, infrastructure receives arequest from a UE to connect to a small cell. In block 904, theinfrastructure determines which small cells are available for use by theUE. In some embodiments, the infrastructure can narrow the list of smallcells down if the UE sends assistance data. In one embodiment, theinfrastructure sends a recommended small cell and additional smallcells. In block 906, the infrastructure determines whether boosterserving the small cell needs to wake up from a low power state. If so,in block 908, the infrastructure sends a request to the booster to comeout of the low power state into an active state. In either case and inblock 910, the infrastructure can then provide the small cellinformation to the UE.

Various embodiments described herein can also be used to expand, update,use and/or provide new functionality to existing wireless systems (e.g.RATs, RANs, UTRAN, EUTRAN, etc.). In FIG. 10, an example of an enhancedLTE protocol stack 1000 for a UE is shown. The protocol stack 1000 canbe enhanced with new messages 1016 and information elements (IEs) 1018for use in connecting with small cells.

The stack describes protocol layers in an enhanced LTE protocol stack1000. These layers can provide abstraction from a lower layer(represented as a layer closer to the bottom of the page). A physicallayer (L1) 1014 includes systems that translate physical signals intological data for use by the higher layers. L1 can also providemeasurement and configuration services to the radio resource control(RRC) layer 1006. The medium access control (MAC) layer 1012 includessystems that perform transport as logical mapping and/or scheduling. TheMAC layer 1012 includes systems that can provide format selection andmeasurements about the network to the RRC layer 1006. The radio linkcontrol (RLC) layer 1010 includes systems that provide segmentation,concatenation and reassembly, and can operate in different modesdepending on a radio bearer. The packet data convergence protocol PDCPlayer 1008 includes systems that can provide services for higher levelprotocols including cryptographic functions, headercompression/decompression, sequence numbering and/or duplicate removal.User traffic can be sent through the PDCP layer 1008 to the internetprotocol (IP) layer 1004, which is then routed to applications andsystems of the UE for use. Control traffic can be sent to the RRC layer1006. The RRC layer 1006 can provide management and control functions ofthe UE. RRC layer 1006 functionality can include processing of broadcastinformation, paging, connection management with an eNB, integrityprotection of RRC messages, radio bearer control, mobility functions, UEmeasurement and reporting, Quality of Service management, etc. Thenon-access stratum (NAS) layer 1002 includes systems that can providemobility management, call control, session management and/or identitymanagement.

The RRC layer 1006 and NAS layer 1002 can be further enhanced with RRCmessages 1016 and IEs 1018 to aid in connection with small cells. In afirst example, signaling radio bearers (SRBs) were successfullyestablished between the anchor base station and the UE, so that the UEcan use these SRBs to send its location query and/or activation requestto the infrastructure side. In one embodiment of the first example, anew pair of RRC Messages, BoosterActivationRequest andBoosterActivationResponse, can be used by a UE to request activation ofa Booster eNB (e.g., over the LTE Uu air interface) when an RRCconnection between UE and Anchor eNB is already up and running.

In another embodiment, a new pair of RRC Messages, BoosterLocationQueryand BoosterLocationResults, can be used by a UE to retrieve locationdetails related to small cells' coverage areas (and/or informationdescribing the deployment locations of respective small cell basestations) when an RRC connection between UE and Anchor eNB is already upand running (e.g., over the LTE Uu air interface).

In one embodiment, an already existing RRC Message MeasurementReport canbe used by a UE when an RRC connection between UE and Anchor eNB isalready up and running (and if it is enhanced according to thisinvention) to request retrieval of location details related to smallcells' coverage areas (and/or information describing the deploymentlocations of respective small cell base stations) and/or activation of aBooster eNB.

In a second example, signaling radio bearers (SRBs) are not yetestablished between the anchor base station and the UE, thus UE cannotuse SRBs. Instead, the UE starts the RRC Connection Establishmentprocedure, which can comprise random access. A first embodimentdescribes the successful case of the RRC Connection Establishmentprocedure, while A second embodiment describes the unsuccessful case.Both embodiments describe the procedure at RRC layer; the random accessitself is a MAC layer procedure.

In a first embodiment, already existing RRC MessagesRRCConnectionRequest and RRCConnectionSetup andRRCConnectionSetupComplete as used in the RRC Connection Establishmentprocedure when it is successful. The RRC Messages RRCConnectionRequestand RRCConnectionSetupComplete are going in uplink direction and may beused by the UE to request retrieval of location details related to smallcells' coverage areas (and/or information describing the deploymentlocations of respective small cell base stations) and/or activation of aBooster eNB.

In a second embodiment, the already existing RRC MessagesRRCConnectionRequest and RRCConnectionReject as used in the RRCConnection Establishment procedure when it is unsuccessful. The RRCMessage RRCConnectionRequest going in uplink direction may be used bythe UE to request retrieval of location details related to small cells'coverage areas (and/or information describing the deployment locationsof respective small cell base stations) and/or activation of a BoostereNB.

In another example, the infrastructure side uses enhancements in RRCmessages in order to inform selected UEs that are residing in CONNECTEDmode of operation. Changes can be reflected almost immediately, whenevera small cell's capability or activity changes. In one embodiment, newpair of RRC Messages, SmallCellLocationRequest andSmallCellLocationResponse, can be used by a UE when an RRC connection tothe base station is already up and running (over the cellular airinterface). RRC Message SmallCellLocationRequest may be sent as part ofphase #3 (as seen in FIG. 5), and RRC Message SmallCellLocationResponsemay be sent as part of phase #6 (as seen in FIG. 5).

In another embodiment, a new pair of RRC Messages includesSmallCellLocationInfo and SmallCellLocationAcknowledgement, that can beused by a UE when an RRC connection to the base station is already upand running (over the cellular air interface). Both RRC MessagesSmallCellLocationInfo and SmallCellLocationAcknowledgement can be sentas part of phase #6 (as seen in FIG. 5).

In one embodiment, an enhanced existing RRC Message can provide thesmall cell location information in other RRC Messages to the UE, forinstance as part of an RRCConnectionReconfiguration RRC Message. OtherRRC Messages can also be extended.

RRC systems can include new or enhanced Information Elements in thevarious RRC Messages that are transmitted over the LTE Uu air interface,thereby distinguishing between RRC Messages that are sent from thehandset to the tower (uplink direction, phase #3) and RRC Messages thatare sent from the tower to the handset (downlink direction, phase #6).

Some embodiments can add at least one of the following new parameters inone of the aforementioned RRCMessages in uplink direction to enable arequest or query. The following descriptions of IEs are intended asexamples and should not be read to limit the embodiments to thesedescriptions.

-   BoosterLocationQuery1 ::= BOOLEAN

A BoosterLocationQuery-Type1 IE can include a range of true or false.This IE can enable the UE to request location information about boosterdeployment from the infrastructure side.

BoosterLocationQuery2 ::= SEQUENCE { LocationRequest BOOLEAN UELocationLocationInfo }

A BoosterLocationQuery-Type2 IE can be a container that includes aboolean LocationRequest and UE Location Information (such ascoordinates, radius, area description, movement, etc.) calledLocationInfo. This can be used by the UE to request location informationabout booster deployment from the infrastructure side (at the UE'scurrent location).

-   BoosterActivationRequest1 ::= BOOLEAN

A BoosterActivationRequest1 IE can include a true or false range. ThisIE can enable the UE to request activation of booster(s) from theinfrastructure side.

BoosterActivationRequest2 ::= SEQUENCE { ActivationRequest BOOLEANUELocation LocationInfo }

A BoosterActivationRequest2 IE can be a container that includes aboolean ActivationRequest and UE Location Information calledLocationInfo. This IE can be used by the UE to request activation ofbooster(s) from the infrastructure side (at the UE's current location).

-   BoosterDetails ::= ENUMERATED {Location, Activity}

A BoosterDetails IE can include a list of locations associated withactivities. This IE can be used by the UE to request booster detailspertaining to both booster activity and booster location from theinfrastructure side. It may be combined with an indication of the UE'scurrent location.

Some embodiments can add at least one of the following new parameters inone of the aforementioned RRC Messages in downlink direction to enablethe base station to reply to the UE's request/query.

-   BoosterLocation ::= LocationInfo

A BoosterLocation IE can describe a location of a booster (such ascoordinates, radius, area description, movement, etc.). This IE can beused by the infrastructure side to indicate to the UE locationinformation pertaining to booster deployment. If the UE indicated itsposition in the preceding request/query, then it is clear that thelocation indicated in this Information Element is related to the bestsuitable booster for this particular UE. If the UE did not indicate itsposition in the preceding request/query, then this Information Elementmay comprise a list (for example, comprising several booster locationslisted in priority order) with all suitable boosters available in theUE's current greater area (e.g., serving cell plus neighbors, ortracking area, etc.).

BoosterActivity ::= SEQUENCE { BoosterID BIT STRING (SIZE (32)) CellIDcgi-Info Activity ENUMERATED {on, off} }

A BoosterActivity IE can be a container that includes multipledescriptions of boosters, each description including an identifier for abooster, a cell id and whether the booster has activity. This IE can beused by the infrastructure side to indicate to the UE informationpertaining to booster activity (in a given location). If the UEindicated its position in the preceding request/query, then the boosteractivity indicated in this IE can be related to the best suitablebooster for this particular UE. If the UE did not indicate its positionin the preceding request/query, then this IE can comprise a list (forexample, comprising several booster IDs or locations listed in priorityorder) with all active boosters available in the UE's current greaterarea (e.g., serving cell plus neighbors, or tracking area, etc.).

In FIG. 11, an example of data transmitted during a system informationbroadcast is shown. A System Information Broadcast can be received byall UEs in a given cell, regardless of whether the UE is currentlyresiding in IDLE or CONNECTED mode of operation. A possible encodingexample is given in FIG. 11. The macro cell base station (e.g., theAnchor eNB) disseminates new information elements in its SystemInformation Broadcast for the description of the small cells' detailedcoverage areas (and/or for detailed information describing thedeployment locations of the respective small cell base stations). Ifneeded, these IEs can be grouped according to the assistance datapertaining to the UE's individual situation as received from the UE inphase #3 (see FIG. 5). For instance, the System Information may comprisea first set of location information intended for a first (group of)UE(s) and a second set of location information intended for a second(group of) UE(s). A group of UEs can for instance be formed with UEshaving the same or similar communication needs in terms of QoSrequirements and mobility characteristics, respectively.

The encoding variants for LTE/LTE Advanced described herein are anexample. It should be noted that similar parameters could be used onother air interface technologies according to GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, etc.Furthermore, similar parameters could be used on access links based onmmWave technology.

The encoding example shown in FIG. 11 can be part of SIBType1, or acompletely new and distinct SIBType with a lower order of precedence(e.g., SIBType17, which is not yet defined in LTE/LTE Advanced).

This data can enable dissemination of a number of IEs pertaining tolocation information related to small cells' detailed coverage areas.Alternatively, information describing the deployment locations of therespective small cell base stations may be listed. Here, the newstructure allows specifying small cell location details for up toMaxNumberSC small cells.

A SmallCellInfo variable 102 can encapsulate a list of small cells,represented by SmallCellContainer 1104. SmallCellContainer 1104 candescribe elements of a small cell including identifiers(SmallCellIdentifier), coverage (SmallCellDimension and itssubattributes), RAT descriptions (RFfingerprint and its sub elements),fingerprint tolerance, services offered and/or quality of services (suchas real-time, delay tolerant), mobility support, security, etc. RATdescriptions can include descriptions for various RATs including EUTRA1106, UTRA 1108 and GERAN. RAT descriptions can also includeidentifications, measurements (e.g. reference signal received power(RSRP), reference signal received

FIG. 12 is an example illustration of a mobile device, such as a UE, amobile station (MS), a mobile wireless device, a mobile communicationdevice, a tablet, a handset, or another type of mobile wireless device.The mobile device can include one or more antennas configured tocommunicate with a transmission station, such as a base station (BS), aneNB, a base band unit (BBU), a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radioequipment (RRE), a relay station (RS), a radio equipment (RE), oranother type of wireless wide area network (WWAN) access point. Themobile device can be configured to communicate using at least onewireless communication standard including 3GPP LTE, WiMAX, HSPA,Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. The mobile device can communicate using separateantennas for each wireless communication standard or shared antennas formultiple wireless communication standards. The mobile device cancommunicate in a WLAN, a wireless personal area network (WPAN), and/or aWWAN.

FIG. 12 also provides an illustration of a microphone and one or morespeakers that can be used for audio input and output from the mobiledevice. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display (LCD) screenor other type of display screen, such as an organic light emitting diode(OLED) display. The display screen can be configured as a touch screen.The touch screen can use capacitive, resistive, or another type of touchscreen technology. An application processor and a graphics processor canbe coupled to internal memory to provide processing and displaycapabilities. A non-volatile memory port can also be used to providedata input/output options to a user. The non-volatile memory port canalso be used to expand the memory capabilities of the mobile device. Akeyboard can be integrated with the mobile device or wirelesslyconnected to the mobile device to provide additional user input. Avirtual keyboard can also be provided using the touch screen.

EXAMPLES

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

Example 1 is a user equipment (UE) configured to determine that the UEhas mobile broadband (MBB) network requirements that are greater than aservice threshold. The service threshold is based at least in part onservice provided by an anchor base station communicating with the UEover a MBB system. The UE is further configured to determine whether asmall-area wireless access node service area is within a geographicalarea capable of servicing the UE. The small-area wireless access nodeservice area is at least partially within the service area of an anchornode providing service to the UE. The UE is also configured to transmita request to the anchor node requesting the service from the small-areawireless access node. The UE is further configured to receive, from theanchor node, response information comprising a location of thesmall-area wireless access node. The UE is also configured to processthe response information to determine whether the small-area wirelessaccess node can service the UE and connect with the small-area wirelessaccess node.

In example 2, the UE of example 1 can be optionally configured such thatto connect with the small-area wireless access node further comprisesswitching from MBB to millimeter wave cellular systems.

In example 3, the UE of examples 1-2 can be optionally configured suchthat the MBB network requirements are long term evolution (LTE) networkrequirements.

In example 4, the UE of examples 1-3 can be optionally configured suchthat to determine whether the small-area wireless access node servicearea is within a geographical area further comprises periodicallyreceiving a list of small-area wireless access nodes capable ofservicing the UE.

In example 5, the UE of examples 1-3 can be optionally configured suchthat to determine whether the small-area wireless access node servicearea is within a geographical area further comprises requesting a set ofsmall-area wireless access nodes capable of servicing the UE.

In example 6, the UE of examples 1-5 can be optionally configured suchthat the network requirements include large data transfer ability.

In example 7, the UE of examples 1-6 can be optionally configured suchthat the network requirements include a quality of service greater thanavailable through the anchor node.

In example 8, the UE of examples 1-7 can be optionally configured suchthat to connect with the small-area wireless access node furthercomprises using WiFi to communicate with the UE.

Example 9 is a wireless network device comprises a network interface, alocation determination system and a processor. The network interface isconfigured to communicate over a wireless network with wireless networkinfrastructure. The location determination system is configured toprovide a device location of the wireless network device. The processoris configured to execute instructions that cause the wireless networkdevice to perform operations. The processor is further configured todetermine that a threshold for requesting connection to the small cellhas been met. The processor is also configured to receive locationinformation describing locations of a set of small cells from thewireless network infrastructure. The processor is further configured todetermine the device location of the wireless network device. Theprocessor is also configured to connect to a small cell from the set ofsmall cells that serves the location of the device.

In example 10, the wireless network device of example 9 can optionallyfurther include an additional network interface to connect with thesmall cell over an additional channel of communication.

In example 11, the wireless network device of example 10 can beoptionally configured such that the supplemental network interfacefurther comprises a millimeter wave interface.

In example 12, the wireless network device of example 10 can beoptionally configured such that the network interface further comprisesan LTE interface.

In example 13, the wireless network device of example 9-12 can beoptionally configured such that the threshold is based at least in parton a demand for data throughput that exceeds a threshold measuring theability of a current connection to the wireless network infrastructureto deliver the data throughput.

In example 14, the wireless network device of example 9-13 can beoptionally configured such that the processor is configured to executefurther instructions that cause the wireless network device to transmita request for connection to a small cell comprising assistance data, theassistance data comprising mobility behavior, location information ormedia consumption description.

In example 15, the wireless network device of example 9-14 can beoptionally configured such that to connect to the small cell furthercomprises sending an activation request to the small cell to wake up thesmall cell.

In example 16, the wireless network device of example 9-15 canoptionally further include a screen providing a user interface.

In example 17, the wireless network device of example 9-16 canoptionally further include an antenna.

Example 18 is a base station comprises a network interface, storage anda processor. The network interface is configured to communicate over awireless network with a plurality of user equipments (UEs). The storageis configured to store location data comprising locations of boosters.The processor is configured to execute instructions that cause the basestation to perform operations. The processor is further configured toreceive a request to connect to a booster by a UE from the plurality ofUEs. The request includes UE mobility information. The processor is alsoconfigured to determine the booster available for use by the UE. Theprocessor is further configured to provide booster information to theUE.

In example 19, the base station of example 18 can be optionallyconfigured such that to provide the location data to the UE furthercomprises broadcasting the location data to the plurality of UEs,providing the location data to the UE directly or providing the locationdata to the UE through open mobile alliance device management (OMA DM).

In example 20, the base station of example 18 can optionally furtherinclude a supplemental network interface to provide a small cell to theUE.

In example 21, the base station of example 20 can be optionallyconfigured such that the supplemental network interface furthercomprises a millimeter wave cellular interface.

In example 22, the base station of example 20 can be optionallyconfigured such that the supplemental network interface furthercomprises a WiFi interface.

In example 23, the base station of examples 18-22 can be optionallyconfigured such that to determine the booster further comprises causingthe booster to transition to a powered-up state from a low-power state.

Example 24 is a wireless network infrastructure comprises a basestation, a booster and a processor. The base station comprises a firstnetwork interface, a second network interface and storage. The firstnetwork interface is configured to communicate over a wireless networkwith a plurality of user equipments (UEs) using a first radio accesstechnology (RAT). The second network interface is configured tocommunicate with a core network. The storage is configured to storelocation data comprising locations of small cells. The booster comprisesa third network interface and a fourth network interface. The thirdnetwork interface is configured to communicate over a wireless networkwith a plurality of user equipments (UEs) using a second RAT. The fourthnetwork interface is configured to communicate with a core network. Theprocessor is configured to receive a request to connect to a booster bya UE from the plurality of UEs. The processor is further configured todetermine the booster available for use by the UE. The processor is alsoconfigured to provide booster information to the UE.

In example 25, the wireless network infrastructure of example 24 canoptionally further include a core network that includes the processor.

In example 26, the wireless network infrastructure of examples 24-25 canoptionally further include a relay configured to relay transmissionsbetween the booster and the base station.

In example 27, the wireless network infrastructure of examples 24-26 canbe optionally configured such that the base station further comprises afifth network interface configured to communicate with the fourthnetwork interface of the booster and transmit messages received from thebooster to the core network.

In example 28, the wireless network infrastructure of examples 24-27 canbe optionally configured such that the booster further comprises aremote antenna and a fronthaul from the remote antenna to the booster.

Example 29 is a method of connecting user equipment (UE) to wirelessnetwork infrastructure that includes determining a threshold for a userequipment (UE) to connect with a booster has been met. The methodincludes receiving location information describing locations of a set ofboosters from the wireless network infrastructure. The method furtherincludes determining the device location of the UE. The method alsoincludes connecting to a booster from the set of boosters that servesthe location of the UE.

In example 30, the method of example 29 can optionally includetransmitting a request to the wireless network infrastructure for thelocation information.

In example 31, the method of examples 29-30 can optionally includetransmitting a request to the wireless network infrastructure thatincludes assistance data.

In example 32, the method of examples 29-31 can optionally includetransmitting a request to the wireless network infrastructure toactivate the small cell.

Example 33 is a method for user equipment (UE) mobility that includesdetermining that a value estimation for a connection to a small cell hasbeen exceeded. The method includes receiving location informationdescribing locations of a set of small cells from the wireless networkinfrastructure. The method further includes determining the devicelocation of the wireless network device. The method also includesconnecting to the small cell that serves the location of the device.

In example 34, the method of example 33 can optionally include one ormore operations. The method can optionally include connecting to thesmall cell further comprises connecting over a millimeter waveinterface. The method can also optionally include determining the valueestimation for the small cell further comprises determining that ademand for data throughput that exceeds a threshold measuring theability of a current connection to the wireless network infrastructureto deliver the data throughput. The method can further optionallyinclude connecting to the small cell further comprises sending anactivation request to the small cell to wake up the small cell.

In example 35, the method of example 33-34 can optionally includetransmitting a request for connection to the small cell comprisingassistance data, wherein the assistance data comprises one or more ofmobility behavior, location information and/or media consumptiondescription.

In example 35, the method of example 33-35 can optionally includesending a message through the small cell to a core network, wherein themessage is transmitted through one or more of a wireless link with ananchor tower, a wired link with the anchor tower and/or a relay betweenthe anchor tower and the small cell.

Example 37 is an apparatus including means to perform a method asclaimed in any of claims 29-36.

Example 38 is machine readable storage including machine-readableinstructions, when executed, to implement a method or realize anapparatus as claimed in any of claims 29-37.

Various techniques, or certain aspects or portions thereof, can take theform of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media,such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium, or any other machine-readable storagemedium wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus forpracticing the various techniques. In the case of program code executionon programmable computers, the computing device can include a processor,a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile andnon-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device,and at least one output device. The volatile and non-volatile memoryand/or storage elements can be a RAM, an EPROM, a flash drive, anoptical drive, a magnetic hard drive, or other medium for storingelectronic data. The eNB (or other base station) and UE (or other mobilestation) can also include a transceiver component, a counter component,a processing component, and/or a clock component or timer component. Oneor more programs that can implement or utilize the various techniquesdescribed herein can use an application programming interface (API),reusable controls, and the like. Such programs can be implemented in ahigh-level procedural or an object-oriented programming language tocommunicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language can be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

It should be understood that many of the functional units described inthis specification can be implemented as one or more components, whichis a term used to more particularly emphasize their implementationindependence. For example, a component can be implemented as a hardwarecircuit comprising custom very large scale integration (VLSI) circuitsor gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips,transistors, or other discrete components. A component can also beimplemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmablegate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, orthe like.

Components can also be implemented in software for execution by varioustypes of processors. An identified component of executable code can, forinstance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computerinstructions, which can, for instance, be organized as an object, aprocedure, or a function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identifiedcomponent need not be physically located together, but can comprisedisparate instructions stored in different locations that, when joinedlogically together, comprise the component and achieve the statedpurpose for the component.

Indeed, a component of executable code can be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and can even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data can be identified and illustratedherein within components, and can be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata can be collected as a single data set, or can be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and canexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork. The components can be passive or active, including agentsoperable to perform desired functions.

Reference throughout this specification to “an example” means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example is included in at least one embodiment of the presentinvention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an example” in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearancesof the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositionalelements, and/or materials can be presented in a common list forconvenience. However, these lists should be construed as though eachmember of the list is individually identified as a separate and uniquemember. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as ade facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based onits presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.In addition, various embodiments and examples of the present inventioncan be referred to herein along with alternatives for the variouscomponents thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples,and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of oneanother, but are to be considered as separate and autonomousrepresentations of the present invention.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are provided, such asexamples of materials, frequencies, sizes, lengths, widths, shapes,etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of theinvention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, thatthe invention may be practiced without one or more of the specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shownor described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes ofclarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications canbe made without departing from the principles thereof. It should benoted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both theprocesses and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the presentembodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, andthe invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but canbe modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Those having skill in the art will appreciate that many changes can bemade to the details of the above-described embodiments without departingfrom the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of thepresent invention should, therefore, be determined only by the followingclaims.

1. An apparatus of a base station comprising: a network interfaceconfigured to communicate over a wireless network with a plurality ofuser equipments (UEs); storage configured to store assistance datacomprising booster capability information and location data comprisinglocations of boosters; a processor configured to execute instructionsthat cause the base station to: process a request to connect to abooster by a UE from the plurality of UEs, the request including UEmobility information; determine the booster available for use by the UE;and generate booster information for transmission to the UE.
 2. The basestation of claim 1, wherein to provide the location data to the UEfurther comprises: broadcasting the assistance data to the plurality ofUEs; providing the assistance data to the UE directly; or providing theassistance data to the UE through open mobile alliance device management(OMA DM).
 3. The base station of claim 1, further comprising asupplemental network interface configured to provide a small cellconnection information to the UE.
 4. The base station of claim 3,wherein the supplemental network interface further comprises amillimeter wave cellular interface.
 5. The base station of claim 3,wherein the supplemental network interface further comprises a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) interface.
 6. The base station of claim 1,wherein to determine the booster further comprises to cause the boosterto transition to a powered-up state from a low-power state.
 7. Anapparatus of a wireless network device comprising: a network interfaceconfigured to communicate over a wireless network with wireless networkinfrastructure; a location determination interface configured to receivea device location of the wireless network device; a processor configuredto execute instructions that cause the wireless network device to:determine that a service threshold for requesting a small cellconnection has been met; process service parameters comprising locationinformation describing locations and capabilities of a set of smallcells from the wireless network infrastructure; determine the devicelocation of the wireless network device; and generate a request toconnect to a small cell from the set of small cells that serves thelocation of the wireless network device and is capable of providing theservice threshold in the service parameters.
 8. The apparatus of claim7, further comprising an supplemental network interface to connect withthe small cell over an additional channel of communication.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplemental network interface furthercomprises a millimeter wave interface.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the network interface further comprises a long term evolution(LTE) interface.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the threshold isbased at least in part on a demand for data throughput that exceeds athroughput threshold measuring an ability of a current connection to thewireless network infrastructure to deliver the data throughput.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to executefurther instructions that cause the wireless network device to transmita request for the small cell connection comprising assistance data, theassistance data comprising mobility behavior, location information ormedia consumption description.
 13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein toconnect to the small cell further comprises sending an activationrequest to the small cell to wake up the small cell.
 14. The apparatusof claim 7, further comprising a screen providing a user interface. 15.The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the network interface furthercomprises an antenna.
 16. A computer program product comprising anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructionsfor execution by a processor to perform operations of a user equipment(UE), the operations, when executed by the processor, to perform amethod, the method comprising: determining that the UE has mobilebroadband (MBB) network requirements in assistance data describing UEservice parameters that are greater than a service threshold provided byan anchor base station, the service threshold based at least in part onMBB service parameters provided by the anchor base station communicatingwith the UE over a MBB system; determining whether a small-area wirelessaccess node service area of a small-are wireless access node is within ageographical area capable of servicing the UE and capable of providingthe UE service parameters, the small-area wireless access node servicearea at least partially within a service area of an anchor nodeproviding the MBB service to the UE; transmitting a request to theanchor node requesting small-area wireless access node service from thesmall-area wireless access node capable of providing the UE serviceparameters in the assistance data; receiving, from the anchor node,response information comprising a location of the small-area wirelessaccess node capable of providing the UE service parameters; processingthe response information to determine whether the small-area wirelessaccess node can service the UE; and connecting with the small-areawireless access node.
 17. The computer program product of claim 16,wherein connecting with the small-area wireless access node furthercomprises switching from MBB to millimeter wave cellular systems. 18.The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the MBB networkrequirements are long term evolution (LTE) network requirements.
 19. Thecomputer program product of claim 16, wherein determining whether thesmall-area wireless access node service area is within the geographicalarea further comprises periodically receiving a list of small-areawireless access nodes capable of servicing the UE.
 20. The computerprogram product of claim 16, wherein determining whether the small-areawireless access node service area is within the geographical areafurther comprises requesting a set of small-area wireless access nodescapable of servicing the UE.
 21. The computer program product of claim16, wherein the MBB network requirements include large data transferability.
 22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the MBBnetwork requirements include a quality of service greater than availablethrough the anchor node.
 23. The computer program product of claim 16,wherein connecting with the small-area wireless access node furthercomprises using wireless local area network (WLAN) to communicate withthe UE.